Falling for the Goalie and Other Dangerous Sports

Chapter 44 - Maddy

She hadn't lied about the intensity they were going to bring. I didn't stop my talking because I had to constantly direct people around, too busy with trying to get the offense the ball to yell at any specific player. They continually just shoved it back down our throats, back down mine and I struggled to breath. Ten minutes. Ten minutes and they'll be out of gas.

A wing charged down the field, Nate right on his tail. Carter and Jarod were still our center mids, staying close on their marks. The wing didn't have someone to pass to as Nate caught up to him, stepping in front and putting the wing on his back. Nate glanced around frantically, looking for a someone. Mark, now playing right defender, cut out and called for the drop but the other player kicked it out from between his legs. Mark took the throw in, sending it far down the line. Mark was really big on basketball, so with his arm strength his throws were the farthest by a landslide. Oliver sprinted to it as it sailed past Nate's head, looking for a center mid to pass to. Jarod rushed to space as he passed a 50/50 ball. Their sweeper plowed Jarod over, clearing the ball back our way. It was a hard hit, one that would've stunned me for a moment, but Jarod popped back up, jogging back, but with a slight limp. I saw him wave over at his mom, asking for a break.

The ball went out of bounds, and Dakota came back in for Jarod. He didn't try to show that his ankle was hurting him, but he couldn't help the limp. He'd want to go straight back in, I knew it, but it didn't look good. Jarod was an extremely important asset to the team, he was like the glue that kept the midfield together. Without him things were either staying on their end a lot, or on ours. Of course it was the latter.

Dakota and Carter tried their best, but they didn't have the awareness Jarod had. Wyatt, Sam, Mark and I constantly shifted and moved and defended. Both Aimee and Nate were strictly on defense for the time being. Dakota and Carter were chasing around their center mids. We just had to get through the half.

They played around with ball up near midfield, and I hurriedly pushed my defense up, catching a forward offsides and a kick going the other way. Yet again, it trickled back down to us. A center mid passed to a wing, who passed to a forward running to the corner. Mark followed him, and I moved up to cover the rushing center mid looking for a long shot. The wing turned and shot back out, glancing up, and kicking a long cross in front of the goal. Wyatt had dropped to cover the threat, heading the ball back out. An open forward that Dakota and Sam didn't communicate covering trapped the ball, taking a hasty but powerful shot. Derek made a safe dive, hitting the ball out towards Sam. Then, Sam got the ball and waited for pressure as he dribbled up the line past Aimee. He cleared out to Oliver, who couldn't run it down quite quick enough, and it was cleared back our way. A center mid took control as Dakota stayed in from of him, players rushing back to our side. And I knew by that sly grin on his face they were planning to score.

They passed cautiously, reserved at the top. I made sure to stay on my toes, covering the cutters and stopping the attempts to get through a hole in my defense. They found none, but kept pressing forward, strategically flattening us out into a line instead of a diamond. We had to pick up marks now, sending things into a frenzy of passes to one corner and back out and around to the other corner, looking for the right opportunity. I was proud of my defense, continuing to hold them off until we could get the ball back and send it out. But it seemed like it'd never end until they got their goal.

A wing ended up with ball and a slim opportunity to cross, but it hit off Mark and went out of bounds. They went to set up for a corner kick, not calling out a play this time. We set ourselves up in the usual formation. I was a little nervous, but they couldn't score. They can't. I can't let them, not if we won't have Jarod back for the half. They'll kill us.

Too soon, the kicker held up his arm. But, the players didn't rush as expected. No, a defender rushed up short as a hard grounder was kicked to him, sending us into a quick confused panic, and the defender delivered a power shot.